Iran Human Rights (IHR); December 1, 2020: According to Ahmadreza Djalali’s family, he is due to be transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison at 5pm today. Last week he was informed that he would be transferred to the prison to carry out his death sentence.
Iran Human Rights Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “Ahmadreza Djalali is at imminent risk of execution and only a strong and urgent reaction from the international community can save his life.”
Vida Mehrannia, Ahmadreza’s wife, told IHR: “His lawyer was informed that Ahmadreza would be transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison at 5pm today (Tuesday, December 1).”
Ahmadreza Djalali who had travelled to Iran at the official invitation of the University of Tehran, was arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents on 24 April 2016 and spent three months in the Ministry’s detention centre.
Initially charged with “collaborating with hostile states”, he was later convicted of “Ifsad-fil-Arz" (Corruption on earth) through espionage for Israel” by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran which was also upheld by the Supreme Court.
On November 24, IHR issued a statement which while emphasising the inhumanity of the death penalty itself, considered Dr Djalali’s death sentence to be the result of conspiracy theories by Iran’s security officials to charge dual-nationals with espionage, pressure and torture them to obtain forced confessions and violate their right to a fair trial.
Last week, in a joint letter to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, ten international rights organisations, including Iran Human Rights, called for immediate action to stop Ahmadreza’s execution.
It should be noted that death row inmates are primarily executed at Rajai Shahr Prison. As such and given Ahmadreza’s phone call last week, the transfer raises grave concern about the imminent implementation of his death sentence.